Constitution Revision Commission Archives - Florida Family Action

GOVERNOR DESANTIS APPOINTS BARBARA LAGOA TO FLORIDA SUPREME COURT

Admin — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 20:21:47 +0000

BREAKING NEWS:
January 9, 2019

GOVERNOR DESANTIS MAKES FIRST OF
THREE HISTORIC APPOINTMENTS TO
THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT

Judge Barbara Lagoa of Miami to become the first
Cuban-American Woman on the Florida Supreme Court.

(Tallahassee, FL) Today, as his first very first act in office, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Judge Barbara Lagoa, the first of three appointments which are expected to the Florida Supreme Court. Judge Lagoa currently sits on the Third District Court of Appeals (DCA) in Miami. The Third DCA is an appeals court between the trial court and the state supreme court.

Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger issued the following statement today regarding this appointment:

“Governor Ron DeSantis has made a simply outstanding choice in Barbara Lagoa for the Florida Supreme Court. She is smart, thoughtful, and has a conservative judicial philosophy that appreciates the limited role of the court. She is also deeply committed to her faith, her family and her community. In the world of judicial appointments, Barbara Lagoa is a home run. Governor DeSantis should be highly commended for a very thorough vetting process and a commitment to appoint such highly principled Justices as Barbara Lagoa.”

Judge Lagoa is the first of three appointments that Governor DeSantis will make to replace three of the court’s most liberal justices who termed out for mandatory retirement at age 70* yesterday on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. The retiring justices are Barbara Pariente (Lawton Chiles Appointment in 1997); Fred Lewis (Lawton Chiles Appointment in 1998); and Peggy Quince (Initially a Lawton Chiles appointee whom Jeb Bush also agreed to appoint on his first day of office in 1998).

During his inaugural address on Tuesday, Governor DeSantis forthrightly stated, “I say to you: judicial activism ends, right here and right now. I‘ll only appoint judges who understand the proper role of the courts is to apply the law and Constitution as written, not to legislate from the bench. The Constitution, not the judiciary, is supreme.” Today’s appointment of Barbara Lagoa is evidence of this promise given Lagoa’s judicial philosophy.

Personal and Professional Bio on Judge Barbara Lagoa:

Judge Lagoa’s parents fled Cuba and she was born in Miami, Florida. She has served on the Third District Court of Appeals in Miami for the past twelve years since being appointed to that court by Governor Jeb Bush in 2006. Of all 59 applicants that applied to the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, Lagoa had the most appellate experience. Over her 12 years on the appellate bench, Judge Lagoa has heard more than 11,000 cases and issued more than 470 written opinions. Judge Lagoa was also the first Cuban American woman to serve on the Third District Court of Appeals and is fluent in both Spanish and English. She received her Juris Doctorate from Columbia University. Her civil practice focused on general and complex commercial litigation, particularly the areas of employment discrimination, business torts, securities litigation, construction litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. She also served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. In this office, she worked in the Civil, Major Crimes and Appellate Sections. As an Assistant United States Attorney, she tried numerous criminal jury trials, including drug conspiracies and Hobbs Act violations.

Judge Lagoa has been a member of the Federalist Society for several years. She has also been actively involved with Kristi House, an organization that provides treatment, advocacy, and coordination of services for all child victims of abuse and their families, as well as education and prevention services to end child abuse and sex trafficking. She is married to attorney Paul C. Huck, Jr. and is the mother of three children. The Lagoa family are faithful Catholics and attend the Church of the Epiphany in Miami.

Judge Lagoa’s 144-page application to the Judicial Nominating Commission can be found here:

https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2018/10/Lagoa-Barbara-1.pdf

Judge Lagoa’s interview with the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission can be watched on video from 2:15 to 28:30 here:https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/11-4-18-florida-supreme-court-judicial-nominating-commission-part-1/

* NOTE: Florida voters passed Amendment 6 on November 6, 2018, which increased the mandatory retirement age of Florida judges from 70 to 75. FFPC President John Stemberger, as a member of the 2018 Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), co-sponsored the proposal which became Amendment 6. This proposal/amendment ensured that the effective date of Amendment 6 took place on July 1, 2019, preventing it from affecting the judicial transitions in January 2019.

For more information contact:
Media@FLfamily.org
# # #

Florida Family Policy Council

4853 S. Orange Ave, Suite C, Orlando, FL 32806

Info@FLfamily.org * Phone: 407-251-5130

The post GOVERNOR DESANTIS APPOINTS BARBARA LAGOA TO FLORIDA SUPREME COURT appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report from Tallahassee – Week 7 of 9

Admin — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:36:29 +0000

This week students from Parkland and across the state descended on Tallahassee to call for legislative action after the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, students were split into groups and were escorted by Equality Florida, Florida’s leading LGBT activist organization, and other organizers to meet with legislators to share their experiences and demand action.

On Tuesday, as the House opened their floor session, Democrats motioned to remove all committee assignments from HB 219 and debate it directly on the floor. The bill, which has been called an assault weapons ban, in actual fact, bans nearly all guns and makes it a felony to possess or sell a wide variety of guns. The bill was never analyzed by staff nor heard in any of its committees. It should be noted that staff analysis and committee hearings are a vital part of vetting any proposed legislation. The motion to remove the committee references and debate it on the floor failed in a 71-36 party-line vote which set off a media firestorm and framed the conversation for the remainder of the week. CNN listed the name of every member who voted not to bring the measure to the floor with their NRA record. Other media outlets listed the names and phone numbers of all of the no votes. Legislative offices were inundated with calls not just from Floridians, but those across the country.

On Wednesday, a Parkland student ambushed the Criminal Justice Subcommittee chair in the House Judiciary Committee to ask what possible reason or rationale he could have for not hearing HB 219. A rally was held outside the Capitol with 2,000 to 3,500 people calling for stricter gun control measures with students, parents, teachers, and legislators speaking out. The rally was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Equality Florida, The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, Florida PTA and others. The atmosphere was supercharged and hostile. As House members convened on the floor Wednesday afternoon, a group gathered outside the chamber chanting about HB 219 and could be heard throughout the entire floor session.

House and Senate leaders plan to release their legislative response to the Parkland shooting as early as today, but it’s unlikely that gun control advocates will be happy with it. Throughout the week, it was clear that the shooting had become politicized and a specific agenda was being pushed by the Left.

FFPC President John Stemberger tweeted out regarding this whole movement:

It is totally shameful the leftist activists in Florida that are exploiting the teen survivors of the #StonemanShooting by parading them around exploiting them for political purposes instead of getting them grief counseling & letting them heal. #StudentsStandUp #CNNTownHall

— John Stemberger (@JohnStemberger) February 22, 2018

Dealing with the aftermath of the shooting may have also sucked all the air out of budget negotiations and we’re hearing its a possibility that Session may be extended so that budget negotiations can be completed.

Here are some exciting events happening around the state we hope you will attend:

A Women’s Pregnancy Center of Marianna’s Celebration of Life Banquet

Join us for A Women’s Pregnancy Center of Marianna’s Annual Celebration of Life Banquet this next Tuesday, February 27. FFPC President John Stemberger will be the featured keynote at this event. Celebrate with us the precious lives saved every day because of AWPC Marianna’s commitment to support and care for women and their families in their community facing a suspected or unplanned pregnancy.

Details:
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 | 6 – 10 PM CST
Eastside Baptist Church, 4785 Highway 90, Marianna, 32446
For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 850-526-4673 or email awpcmarianna@gmail.com.

Strengthening the Black Family Forum

We are pleased to partner with the Douglass Leadership Institute to present the Strengthening the Black Family forum in Pompano Beach on Saturday, March 17. This free forum event will celebrate the importance of family in the black community while highlighting the challenges facing many children today due to single parent households, divorce and poverty. During the event, participants will also hear from and receive leadership training from respected political and policy experts, including FFPC’s President John Stemberger and Rev. Dean Nelson, chairman of the Douglass Leadership Institute. The goal of this Saturday morning conference is to discuss how black churches and families can be strengthened, as black American families are disproportionately disadvantaged in many ways.

Details:
Saturday, March 17, 2018 | 9 am -12 pm EST
Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church
890 NW 15th Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
To register please contact Kevrick McKain at 919-935-9220.

Upcoming Constitution Revision Commission Hearings (Pensacola, Cape Coral, St. Petersburg)

Your voice is needed at one of the upcoming historic hearings of the 2017-2018 Florida Constitutional Revision Commission (CRC) scheduled during the next few weeks. Hearings are currently scheduled for Pensacola on 2/27, Cape Coral on 3/5 and St. Petersburg on 3/13. For more information on what is happening and what is needed click here.

Now for this week’s update on our core legislative agenda!

ADOPTION/FOSTER CARE

OPPOSE HB 357 / SB 576 Adoptee Birth Certificates
Sponsors: Rep. Richard Stark (D), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

This bill mandates opening up birth records to birth parents and adult adoptees (even without the consent of the birth parents in adoptions after July 1, 2018) by requiring the Florida Department of Health to issue noncertified copies of unaltered, original birth certificates to adoptees and birth parents.

Action Taken: None this Session.

ABORTION

SUPPORT HB 1429 / SB 1890 Dismemberment Abortion
Sponsors: Rep. Erin Grall (R), Rep. Joe Gruters (R), Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R)

Prohibits dismemberment abortion, where an unborn child is killed by an abortionist using instruments to cut or rip the child’s body apart piece by piece and then extracts the pieces from the mother.

Action Taken: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 1273 / SB 1718 Contraception Mandate
Sponsors: Rep. Holly Raschein (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Mandates employers provide insurance plans which pay for contraception, including abortion-inducing drugs. The exemption for employers is limited to religious objections by religious nonprofits or small, privately-held companies and it requires notification of objection to providing coverage. Insurance companies are still required to provide coverage of contraception to employees who work for an exempt organization.

Action Taken: None this Session.

OPPOSE HB 189 / SB 320 Abortion Clinics
Sponsors: Rep. Amy Mercado (D), Sen. Linda Stewart (D)

This bill prohibits anyone from interfering with women attempting to enter abortion clinics. Sidewalk counselors or protesters could face fines, civil suits, and criminal penalties for simply calling out to a woman to not abort her baby. This bill goes beyond prohibiting criminal and inappropriate interference with abortion facilities and limits free speech.

Action Taken: None this Session.

CULTURE

SUPPORT HR 157 / SR 480 Declaring Pornography a Public Health Risk
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

Recognizes the public health risk created by pornography and acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect Floridians.

Action Taken: The House picked up their resolution for consideration on the floor on Tuesday. During questions, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Winter Park) attempted to imply that this resolution by Rep. Ross Spano (R-Riverview) was unimportant and outrageous because it prioritized pornography over gun violence. Rep. Smith was antagonistic and grandstanding on the issue of gun control during each of his questions. We have it on good authority that he alienated some of his colleagues in the exchange and some are wanting to distance themselves from him. The resolution was adopted in a voice vote, with only a few no votes from the back of the chamber. We remain hopeful that this resolution will prompt some much-needed discussions about the impact that pornography is having in our state.

SUPPORT HB 839 / SB 1158 Display of State Motto in Public Schools
Sponsors: Rep. Daniels (D), Rep. Ponder (R), Sen. Perry (R)

Requires each Florida school and each school district building to prominently display the state motto “In God We Trust.”

Action Taken: Rep. Kim Daniels (D-Jacksonville) presented her bill on the floor of the House on Wednesday. Her passionate remarks on the floor spoke about the attempts to remove God from the public sphere, including the question as to why kids have to wait until they go to prison to see “In God We Trust.” She also asked why we had prison chaplains but none in schools. You can hear her full remarks on the House floor (3:50-11:15) here. The bill passed the House 97-10. Unfortunately, the Senate version hasn’t moved at all this session so the bill is dead for the year.

EDUCATION

SUPPORT HB 731 / SB 732 Home Education
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Clarifies that a home education program is not a school district program and parents who wish to homeschool their children must register with the district school superintendent only for the purpose of complying with the state’s attendance requirements. It requires the district school superintendent to accept the parental notification and register the program upon receipt of the notice. The school district cannot require any additional information unless the student chooses to participate in their programs or services. The bill also stipulates that the content of a child’s portfolio shall be determined by the parent, not the school district. Finally, it allows school districts to provide homeschool students access to career and vocational courses and requires that industry certifications, national assessments, and statewide, standardized assessments offered by the school district be available to homeschool students. For homeschool students who are dual enrolled to earn college credit, the bill stipulates that course or program limitations may not exceed the limitations for other dually enrolled students.

Action Taken: The House version passed quickly without any debate on Wednesday afternoon in a 113-0 vote. The Senate version has one remaining committee, Appropriations, but it was not scheduled to be heard in next Tuesday’s meeting – the last day for regularly scheduled committee meetings. This means the bill is likely dead for the third year in a row.

SUPPORT HB 1 / SB 1172 Hope Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Rep. Byron Donalds (R), Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

Establishes the Hope Scholarship for students after an incident of battery, harassment, hazing, bullying, kidnapping, robbery, sexual offenses, harassment, assault, threat or intimidation. The student will have an opportunity to transfer to another public school or to apply for a scholarship to attend a private school. Scholarship funds are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Action Taken: HB 7055, a larger education bill, which has the Hope Scholarship Program language was heard by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. Because it is a House bill any proposed amendments will be considered at each committee stop in the Senate. A number of amendments were considered on Tuesday. One that could have huge consequences for private schools was adopted by the committee and we are more fully analyzing its impact before Tuesday’s Appropriations Committee meeting, its next scheduled stop. It is fully expected that the Senate will adopt various amendments and then the bill will head to a conference committee between the two chambers where the final language and details will be determined.

FREE SPEECH

SUPPORT HB 909 / SB 1234 Free Speech Zones on Campus

Sponsors: Rep. Rommel (R), Rep. Clemons (R), Sen. Baxley (R)

Protects the right of free speech outdoors on public campuses of higher education such as state colleges, universities, law schools, etc. Prohibits a public college, university, law school, etc. from creating “free speech zones” or restricting free expression except in cases that are reasonable and content-neutral. No student, faculty or staff member would be allowed to materially disrupt another individual or organization’s scheduled or reserved activities. If a violation occurs, the Attorney General or the person whose rights were violated may take the violator to court within one year of the violation for reasonable compensation.

Action Taken: Senate Judiciary, the final committee in the Senate, heard their version of the bill on Tuesday. The committee room was packed with students from leftist groups whose testimony clearly demonstrated why this bill is necessary on college campuses today. Unfortunately, speaker cards were ordered with all of the opposition on top and supporters on the bottom and time ran out for public testimony – meaning committee members only heard from opponents to the bill. FFA’s Amber Kelly was at the meeting to testify on the bill, but was not given an opportunity to do so. Sen. Anitere Flores (R-Miami) and Sen. Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah) joined with committee Democrats in voting “no” on the bill killing the bill. Before the vote count was even announced, a motion to reconsider was made which would allow the bill to be reconsidered (voted on again) during the next committee meeting – but there are no more Judiciary committee meetings scheduled for the year.

The House Education committee picked up the measure on Wednesday morning. FFA’s Amber Kelly testified on the bill, followed by a couple of the students from the previous day (you can hear Amber’s full testimony from 13:48 to 16:28). Some of the student testimony focused on speech that incites violence – it is important to note that free speech protections never extend to speech that incites violence. Opponents said that extremists include racists, evangelicals and those who are pro-life and that the majority have the right to silence speech they don’t like.

Questions by committee members were much more pointed than in the Senate. During debate committee members passionately argued the bill with some members hung up on the issue of racist speech. Rep. Shevrin Jones (D-West Park), as a millennial, said he believed in disruption, meaning that it is appropriate to disrupt activities or speech that one disagrees with. The idea of disruption is diametrically opposed to the concept of free speech. While it is certainly acceptable to protest and counter-protest, it is not okay to impinge or stop others from exercising their right to free speech. The final vote was 14-6 in a mostly party-line vote with Rep. Kim Daniels (D-Jacksonville) joining committee Republicans.

GAMBLING

OPPOSE HB 223 / SB 374 Fantasy Contests
Sponsors: Rep. Jason Brodeur (R), Sen. Dana Young (R)

Exempts fantasy gaming contests such as fantasy sports leagues from being subject to gambling penalties and regulations. In effect, legalizing fantasy gambling.

Action Taken: None this week.

OPPOSE SB 840 Legalizing Fantasy and Designated Player Games/Expanding Slot Machines
Sponsor: Sen. Travis Hutson (R)

In addition to exempting fantasy gaming from state gambling regulations, this bill would remove the requirement that greyhound, thoroughbred, quarter horse and harness horse permit holders conduct live racing at their pari-mutuel facilities in order to be eligible for or keep their slot machine and cardroom licenses. This bill would allow these facilities to take wagers for intertrack races and simulcasts. It would also legalize designated player games (playing against a designated player rather than the house).

Action Taken: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 1293 / SB 1802 Preview Games and Machines
Sponsor: Rep. Al Jacquet (D), Sen. Perry Thurston Jr. (D)

Legalizes preview or pre-reveal machines, slot machines which draw individuals in by revealing the prize before the game is started. A Florida judge has already ruled the machines constitute gambling.

Action Taken: None this Session.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

SUPPORT HB 167 / SB 1044 Civil Action for Human Trafficking Victims
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Allows a victim of human trafficking to bring a civil cause of action against a human trafficker or facilitator (a person or business who aids in or turns a blind eye to human trafficking activities). Under this provision, a victim of human trafficking could receive payment for medical bills, mental health services, repatriation, etc. as well as monetary damages for pain, loss, trauma, etc. A trafficker or facilitator would also be liable under this section to provide an additional $100,000 in damages to the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking (established by HB 169/SB 1046) and, in some cases, additional damages to law enforcement to aid in future human trafficking rescue efforts. Punitive damages would be equally divided between the victim and the trust fund.

Action Taken: The House version was heard by its final committee, Judiciary, on Wednesday. The bill passed with unanimous support. The bill now heads to the House floor. The Senate version is set to be heard by its final committee, Rules, on Monday next week.

SUPPORT HB 169 / SB 1046 Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Creates the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking and Prevention within the Department of Law Enforcement. This fund would be funded by penalties and damages obtained under as referenced in HB 167 / SB 1044 and other sources, including funds appropriated by the Legislature. The trust fund would be used to assist victims of human trafficking with medical and mental health exams and treatment, living expenses, lost wages and repatriation. The funds could also be used for a variety of education and prevention efforts, creating a survivor’s resource center, or for vacating convictions against trafficking victims incurred due to trafficking, etc.

Action Taken: The House and Senate bills passed their final committees Wednesday and Thursday this week and will now head to the floor to be considered by their full chambers. Both bills passed unanimously out of committee.

SUPPORT HB 7039 / SB 1502 Increased Penalties for Human Trafficking
Sponsors: House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Requires a 10-year minimum mandatory imprisonment sentence for any individual, who knowingly or recklessly without regards to the facts, engages in, attempts to engage in, or financially benefits from human trafficking. Removes fees to expunge certain portions of criminal records for victims of human trafficking as it relates to their trafficking. Redefines the term “Adult Entertainment Establishment” to include additional adult-style businesses.

Action Taken: None this week.

LIFE

SUPPORT HB 41 / SB 444 Pregnancy Support Services
Sponsors: Rep. Jackie Toledo (R), Sen. Aaron Bean (R)

Requires the Florida Department of Health to contract with the Florida Pregnancy Care Network (FPCN) to provide pregnancy support services for women who suspect or know they are pregnant. FPCN would then provide support to pregnant women and address their wellness needs. The bill requires FPCN subcontractors to promote and support childbirth only. All services provided must be voluntary and cannot include religious content.

Action Taken: None this week. It has already passed both chambers, we are just waiting for it to be sent to the governor.

LGBT

OPPOSE HB 347 / SB 66 Creating Special Rights for LGBT Citizens or “Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act”
Sponsors: Rep. Ben Diamond (D), Rep. Rene Plasencia (R), Sen. Darryl Rouson (D)

The worst bill in the Florida Legislature because of its effect on public safety and freedom of conscience. It adds sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to Florida’s Civil Rights Act of 1992 as impermissible grounds for discrimination. This bill provides a new way for LGBT individuals to sue employers and small businesses for discrimination. Would allow men access to use women’s showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms.

A full list of House and Senate co-sponsors.

Action Taken: None this Session.

OPPOSE HB 717 / SB 696 Banning Conversion Therapy
Sponsors: Rep. Evan Jenne (D) / Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D)

This bill makes it unlawful for people in Florida who are licensed to provide professional counseling and others, like pastors who are licensed counselors, to counsel youth under the age of 18 struggling with their “sexual orientation and/or gender identity” to think and live in a heterosexual manner consistent with their biological gender, even if the child (as the patient) asks for their help to do so.

Action Taken: None this Session.

MARRIAGE

SUPPORT HB 1323 / SB 1580 Florida Guide to a Healthy Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. Clay Yarborough (R), Rep. Danny Burgess (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

Creates the Marriage Education Committee, which is tasked with developing the Florida Guide to a Healthy Marriage, which is required to include resources on conflict management, communication skills, family expectations, financial responsibilities and management, domestic violence, and parenting responsibilities; current information from marriage education and family advocates to assist in forming and maintaining a long-term marital relationship; and information regarding premarital education, marriage enrichment education, and resources that are available to help restore a marriage that is potentially moving toward dissolution. Clerks will be responsible for posting the guide on their websites and individuals applying for a marriage certificate must certify that they have read it or similar resources.

Action Taken: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 130 / SB 6027 Same-Sex Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. David Richardson (D), Sen. Gary Farmer (D)

Removes the language in state statute which prohibited same-sex couples from marrying and the State of Florida from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.

Action Taken: None this Session.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

SUPPORT HB 871 / SB 1290 Free Enterprise Protection Act
Sponsors: Rep. Jay Fant (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Prohibits any level of state government or individual acting on behalf of the state from discriminating against a business based upon their internal personnel or employee benefits policies or their exercise of free speech and religion as protected under the Florida and federal Constitutions. The state and its subdivisions would be prohibited from revoking tax exemptions and benefits; denying grants, certifications, licenses, etc.; and access and entitlement to property, facilities and speech forums, among other provisions.

Action Taken: None this Session.

The Senate bill was heard by the Senate Education Committee Tuesday. The bill was amended in committee by the sponsor Sen. Baxley (R-Lady Lake) to clarify liability language for public institutions and add increased accountability for student governments in charge of funding student campus organizations.

The bill was highly contested in committee, with some Senators even questioning the need for this legislation. The bill sponsor reminded the committee that restricting free speech to certain areas or groups on public campuses as some Florida universities (and many others around the country) are practicing is setting a dangerous precedent. Not only do these actions silence or alienate those with differing views leading to complete intolerance, but it also violates the First Amendment.

One senator brought up the inflammatory example of the KKK as a reason to have waiting periods or restrictions on speech on college campuses. However, as one speaker pointed out, as much as this form of speech is not welcome by society, placing restrictions on any group and not on other groups is an unequal application of rules and is effectively content based discrimination. After further discussion, the bill was passed on party lines 7-4. The bill has one more committee, Judiciary, before it heads to the Senate floor.

The post Legislative Insider’s Report from Tallahassee – Week 7 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Critical Update on Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission (CRC): Upcoming Hearings in Melbourne, Jacksonville, Pensacola Cape Coral & St. Petersburg

Admin — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 19:26:35 +0000

Your voice is needed at one of the four upcoming historic hearings of the 2017-2018 Florida Constitutional Revision Commission (CRC) scheduled during the next few weeks. As you may know, the CRC only gathers once every 20 years to review the state constitution. As part of this process, the CRC proposes constitutional amendments which citizens will be able to vote on in the November 2018 election.

The CRC recently completed its committee work. It narrowed down the number of proposed amendments from an initial 1,000 proposals by the public to 100 undertaken by members of the CRC with 37 currently approved by their committees.

The next phase of the CRC is a second round of public hearings. Those hearings are currently scheduled in Melbourne on 2/19, Jacksonville on 2/20, Pensacola on 2/27, Cape Coral on 3/5, and St. Petersburg on 3/13. Details on these locations can be found below.

The first public hearing in this second round of CRC hearings occurred this past week in Fort Lauderdale, one of the most liberal cities in the state. The forum was packed with what appeared to be 500-600 people who were very hostile to life, parental rights and school choice. During the hearing, opponents were very rude, disruptive and did not respect the Chairman’s repeated requests to be civil and to not cheer, clap, or otherwise disrupt the forum or another speaker’s time. Citizens who support life, parental rights, life and school choice need to attend these upcoming hearings and present better, respectful, more persuasive (not to mention truthful) arguments to this historic commission.

UPDATE ON PROPOSAL 22 ON PRIVACY

The privacy amendment, Proposal 22 (see www.FLPrivacy.org), is designed to fix our state constitution’s privacy clause and require the Florida Supreme Court to interpret it in accordance with the original intent of the Legislature (which placed it on the ballot) and the people who adopted it. Florida’s privacy clause was intended for informational privacy and not for abortion. Sadly, Proposal 22 died recently in its second CRC committee, the Judicial Committee. However, if 15 CRC members vote to revive the proposal the matter can still be heard and voted on by the entire commission.

You can watch CRC Commissioner John Stemberger’s argument for Proposal 22 before the CRC Judicial Committee here starting at 1:06:53.

You can read the latest article on the status of the Privacy Proposal by the Orlando Sentinel here.

The bottom line is that the CRC needs to hear from you. Virtually every speaker on the Left either grossly misrepresented the issues or outright lied about the effect of certain CRC proposals at this last meeting. The CRC needs to hear from you and your like-minded friends and family members on the below parental consent laws and educational reforms.

We recommend you respectfully encourage the Commission to vote yes on the following proposals:

1) Proposal 22 – VOTE YES. Support bringing Proposal 22 to the full body of the CRC to fix Florida’s privacy clause to allow the Legislature to enact laws that would require parental consent before a minor girl undergoes an abortion surgery.

2) Proposal 4 – VOTE YES. Repeal the anti-Catholic motivated Blaine Amendment (no-aid) provision in Florida’s Constitution. Repealing this provision would prevent religious discrimination and allow educational vouchers to be issued so that parents can use their own tax dollars to direct the education of their children to the school of their choice—whether a public, private, charter or home school.

3) Proposal 45 – VOTE YES. Specifies that no provision of the state constitution may be construed to limit the Legislature from making provision for other educational services that are beneficial to Florida’s children and families.

4) Proposal 71 – YOTE YES. Allows the Legislature to establish charter schools without the courts striking down the laws for various reasons.

5) Proposal 43 – VOTE YES. Establishes term limits for school board members so that they cannot serve for more than two four-year terms (totaling eight years of service).

For an in-depth review of all 37 proposals currently before the CRC, download this PDF.

Public participation guidelines for the CRC hearings have just been issued and can be downloaded here.

Locations and times of upcoming CRC public hearings

MELBOURNE

Monday, February 19, 2018
1:00-7:00 PM EST
Eastern Florida State College
Maxwell C. King Center
3865 North Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32935

JACKSONVILLE

Tuesday, February 20, 2018
1:00-7:00 PM EST
University of North Florida
Herbert University Center
12000 Alumni Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224

PENSACOLA

Tuesday, February 27, 2018
1:00-7:00 PM CST
University of West Florida
Conference Center & Ballroom
11000 University Parkway, Building 22
Pensacola, FL 32514

CAPE CORAL

Monday, March 05, 2018
1:00-7:00 PM EST
The Westin
5951 Silver King Boulevard
Cape Coral, FL 33914

ST. PETERSBURG

Tuesday, March 13, 2018
1:00-7:00 PM EST
University of South Florida – St. Petersburg
University Student Center
200 6th Ave S
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

The post Critical Update on Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission (CRC): Upcoming Hearings in Melbourne, Jacksonville, Pensacola Cape Coral & St. Petersburg appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report from Tallahassee – Week 4 of 9

Admin — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 20:17:13 +0000

Week 4 is over and there was quite a bit of movement on some bills that we’re watching, but haven’t listed on our core legislative agenda. First off, the House rolled out its gambling bill for the year this week. The proposed bill looks good in that it locks in the Seminole gambling compact for 20 years and puts some other restrictions on gambling in the state. What remains to be seen is whether, after each chamber passes their gambling bills, the House will stick to its guns or compromise with the Senate resulting in an expansion of gambling. Keep in mind that this all leads up to November when Floridians will be voting on Amendment 3, the Voter Control of Gambling Initiative, which would require voter approval before any expansion of gambling in the state – taking the power out of the hands of legislators.

Another bill that we have been watching, but have not formally listed on our legislative agenda relates to churches with schools on their property. The bill would allow these churches to determine whether concealed weapons permit holders are allowed to carry a gun on their property. Currently, Florida law prohibits nearly all individuals, including concealed weapon permit holders, from carrying guns onto public and private school property. Some Florida sheriffs have asked the Legislature to clarify that churches may choose to allow permit holders to carry while on their property as it is church property, not school property. Given recent events and the increased need for security, we believe this to be good public policy and have chosen to support it in both the House and Senate. The bill moved forward in both the House and Senate this week and is ready to be heard on the floor of both chambers.

Rep. Jeanette Nunez (R-Miami) presents HB 335: Marriage of Minors to the House Judiciary Committee Thursday.

Another bill of interest is a bill which would ban marriage for all individuals under the age of 18 with no exceptions. The need for such a bill has arisen out of the revelation of child marriages here in the state of Florida with girls as young as 11 (these cases are not recent, but the victims are finally able to speak out now). While Florida Family Action (FFA) was generally supportive of the bill, we expressed concern during committee weeks that the bill did not allow any exceptions for 16 and 17-year olds, who may need an exception if, for example, they are pregnant and wanted to get married because they are in love with each other and want to do the right thing.

FFA opposes any public policy which encourages or creates incentives for cohabitation, rather than the lifelong commitment of marriage. Studies show that the longer a couple cohabitates before marriage, the more likely the marriage is to end in divorce The Senate passed the bill 37-0 on Wednesday, with absolutely no exceptions. On Thursday, the House picked up the companion bill and introduced an amendment which provides an exception for 16 and 17-year olds who are pregnant, no more than two years apart in age, and have parental consent. FFA supported this amendment and the amended bill in committee.

It remains to be seen as to whether the Senate will accept this change, but it is our sincere hope that they do. We believe that this is a reasonable compromise that addresses our concerns, protects girls from the very real threat of predators and human traffickers, helps to limit marriages for immigration purposes, and makes Florida the leading state in the nation on this issue.

Constitution Revision Commission Update

CRC Commissioner John Stemberger presenting Proposal 22 to the CRC’s Judicial Committee on Thursday

The Constitution Revision Commission’s Judicial Committee took up Proposal 22, the Florida Privacy Restoration Act, at its Thursday meeting. The proposed amendment would clarify that the privacy clause in Florida’s Constitution guarantees a right to informational privacy. Opinions by the Florida Supreme Court in recent years have not upheld a right to informational privacy, but have granted other rights, such as a right to abortion. While abortion would remain constitutional under Roe v Wade if the Florida Privacy Restoration Act passed, it is possible that reasonable laws regulating abortion, such as parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, would now be ruled constitutional. This has angered groups like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Proposal 22 was workshopped before it was picked up by the committee. During the workshop, an expert on judicial activism from Ave Maria School of Law and Paul Linton, the leading expert in the nation on the right to privacy testified on behalf of Proposal 22 while Jon Mills, former Speaker of the Florida House, testified in opposition to the measure. When Commissioner Stemberger presented the bill it seemed clear that the 1977-78 CRC, the 1980 Legislature, the media, and the voters who voted to amend the Florida Constitution with our current privacy clause all understood that the right to privacy was to protect our personal and private information, not a right to abortion. Some committee members chose to ignore the intent by either stating that the constitutional language is clear (it isn’t) or that that the constitution is meant to evolve and so while that may not have been the intent, we are better off with the interpretation of the Florida Supreme Court. In the end, the committee voted against the measure in a 2-4 vote.

Now, for this week’s update on our legislative agenda!

ADOPTION/FOSTER CARE

OPPOSE HB 357 / SB 576 Adoptee Birth Certificates
Sponsors: Rep. Richard Stark (D), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: None this week.

ABORTION

SUPPORT HB 1429 / SB 1890 Dismemberment Abortion
Sponsors: Rep. Erin Grall (R), Rep. Joe Gruters (R), Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R)

Action: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 1273 / SB 1718 Contraception Mandate
Sponsors: Rep. Holly Raschein (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 189 / SB 320 Abortion Clinics
Sponsors: Rep. Amy Mercado (D), Sen. Linda Stewart (D)

This bill prohibits anyone from interfering with women attempting to enter abortion clinics. Sidewalk counselors or protestors could face fines, civil suits, and criminal penalties for simply calling out to a woman to not abort her baby. This bill goes beyond prohibiting criminal and inappropriate interference with abortion facilities and limits free speech.

Action: None this week.

CULTURE

SUPPORT HR 157 / SR 480 Declaring Pornography a Public Health Crisis
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

Recognizes the public health crisis created by pornography and acknowledges need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect Floridians.

Action: None this week.

SUPPORT HB 839 / SB 1158 Display of State Motto in Public Schools
Sponsors: Rep. Daniels (D), Rep. Ponder (R), Sen. Perry (R)

Requires each Florida school and each school district building to prominently display the state motto “In God We Trust.”

Action: None this week.

EDUCATION

SUPPORT HB 731 / SB 732 Home Education
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: The House bill was heard Tuesday by the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee and passed with no opposition in a 12-0 vote. There was no action on the Senate version this week.

SUPPORT HB 1 / SB 1172 Hope Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Rep. Byron Donalds (R), Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Naples) presents HB 1: Hope Scholarship Program to the House PreK-12 Appropriations Committee Tuesday.

Action: The House version was heard by the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday. Several amendments to the bill were adopted, including an increase to the tax credit available to motorists voluntarily contributing funds to this program when they purchase a vehicle in Florida and an appropriation of $2 million annually to the Florida Department of Education to administer the program. Some representatives questioned whether or not there were already school district policies in place and programs to deal with bullying. They advocated for increased funding for these anti-bullying programs in public schools, rather than creating a new scholarship for victims to attend private or charter schools.

Rep. Raburn (R-Valrico) spoke up passionately in support of the bill “I totally recognize that there are school districts that are doing the right thing, there are schools and communities that are addressing problems in classrooms when kids are being bullied, but unfortunately, that’s not happening everywhere. We’ve passed anti-bullying bills in the past, and what we’ve seen is we still have a problem.”

Opponents to the bill claimed that taxpayer dollars under this program would be funneled away from public schools into a “troubled” system (private/charter schools) with little accountability, that the bill was in favor of special interests, or that it forces the victims to leave their school while not dealing with the student who is the bully. It should be noted that nothing in this bill prohibits the school and/or school district from taking appropriate action in regards to the student who is bullying other students. In fact, it is because schools are not always appropriately handling these situations that the bill is necessary.

The sponsor, Rep. Donalds (R-Naples), closed on the bill by reminding those gathered that this bill is giving parents the information and opportunity to make the best decision for their child, not funneling money to certain groups or forcing victims from their schools. The bill passed 9-4 in a party-line vote. The Senate version of the bill was not heard this week.

FREE SPEECH

SUPPORT HB 909 / SB 1234 Free Speech Zones on Campus
Sponsors: Rep. Rommel (R), Rep. Clemons (R), Sen. Baxley (R)

FFA’s Amber Kelly testifies on HB 909 citing three cases in which universities interfered with or prohibited free speech on campus

Action: The House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee heard the bill on Tuesday. Amber Kelly testified in support of the bill on behalf of Florida Family Action (her testimony begins at 1:22:25). While the committee chair was working to move quickly because of a packed agenda, a number of groups showed up to testify in support of the bill. Sadly, one group who opposed the bill was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which supposedly fights for free speech. Rep. Jamie Grant (R-Tampa) questioned the ACLU attorney about how and when they choose when to protect free speech since they were opposing the bill. The ACLU claimed that the bill would chill free speech because universities could be held liable if they do not prohibit a material disruption of a students’ free speech and so they would crack down on others. However, across the country, we’ve seen that university administrations have directly interfered with or prohibited free speech on campus which makes this bill necessary. While some committee members expressed some discomfort with the idea of a cause of action, the bill passed its second committee in a 11-4 vote.

GAMBLING

OPPOSE HB 223 / SB 374 Fantasy Contests
Sponsors: Rep. Jason Brodeur (R), Sen. Dana Young (R)

Exempts fantasy gaming contests such as fantasy sports leagues from being subject to gambling penalties and regulations. In effect, legalizing fantasy gambling.

Action: None this week.

OPPOSE SB 840 Legalizing Fantasy and Designated Player Games/Expanding Slot Machines
Sponsor: Sen. Travis Hutson (R)

Action: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 1293 / SB 1802 Preview Games and Machines
Sponsor: Rep. Al Jacquet (D), Sen. Perry Thurston Jr. (D)

Action: None this week.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

SUPPORT HB 167 / SB 1044 Civil Action for Human Trafficking Victims
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: The bill was scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but was postponed. There was no action on the Senate bill.

SUPPORT HB 169 / SB 1046 Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: The bill was scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but was postponed. There was no action on the Senate bill.

SUPPORT HB 7039 / SB 1502 Increased Penalties for Human Trafficking
Sponsors: House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: The bill was discussed during the Office of Economic & Demographic Research (EDR) Criminal Justice Impact Conference on Monday. Research shared during the conference indicated that the current average sentence length for these type of offenses is about 9.2 years. The bill has yet to be heard in committee.

LIFE

SUPPORT HB 41 / SB 444 Pregnancy Support Services
Sponsors: Rep. Jackie Toledo (R), Sen. Aaron Bean (R)

Action: The bill was scheduled to be heard by the full Senate on Thursday, but the bill sponsor requested a temporary postponement as he is working on the language of the bill. It is expected that they will pick it back up when they meet again next Wednesday.

LGBT

A full list of House and Senate co-sponsors.

Action: None this week.

OPPOSE HB 717 / SB 696 Banning Conversion Therapy
Sponsors: Rep. Evan Jenne (D) / Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D)

Action: None this week.

MARRIAGE

SUPPORT HB 1323 / SB 1580 Florida Guide to a Healthy Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. Clay Yarborough (R), Rep. Danny Burgess (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

FFPC President John Stemberger shares examples of marriage handbooks from other states Tuesday during his testimony on SB 1580 in the Senate Judiciary Committee

Action: Both the House and Senate bills were heard in committee on Tuesday. FFPC President John Stemberger spoke to the House Children Families and Seniors Subcommittee and the Senate Judiciary Committee highlighting the importance of creating a skill-based, non-sectarian guide to help all Florida couples with tools and resources to strengthen their marriage and relationships.

He argued that the state has a compelling interest in strengthening marriage and family structures. You can hear FFPC President John Stemberger’s full testimony to the House Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee starting at 42:16.

Richard Albertson of Live the Life Ministries Tallahassee and FFPC President John Stemberger pictured with SB 1580 bill sponsor Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland)

Some legislators opposed the bill, voicing their concerns over whether this new handbook could truly be non-sectarian and beneficial to all Florida couples. One such representative was Democratic Ranking Member Rep. McGhee (D-Miami) who voiced his concern that pro-life, pro-religious groups might inject their ideologies into this handbook and that a sitting Republican Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President would not select a fair and balanced committee.

Rep. Julio Gonzalez (R-Venice) objected to Rep. McGhee’s questioning and assessment of the issue, calling it the “saddest display he’s ever seen.” The guide is intended to be a non-partisan guide to help couples navigate their marriage, regardless of their religious affiliation, party affiliation, race, etc.

The House bill passed its second (of three committees) in a 9-2 vote and the Senate bill passed its first committee in a 9-1 vote.

OPPOSE HB 130 / SB 6027 Same-Sex Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. David Richardson (D), Sen. Gary Farmer (D)

Removes the language in state statute which prohibited same-sex couples from marrying and the State of Florida from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.

Action: None this week.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

SUPPORT HB 871 / SB 1290 Free Enterprise Protection Act
Sponsors: Rep. Jay Fant (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: None this week.

The post Legislative Insider’s Report from Tallahassee – Week 4 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report Week 3 of 9

Admin — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 18:14:42 +0000

We were excited to see so many new faces this week in Tallahassee for our 5^th annual Pro-Family Days! Each year the event has grown, and this year is no exception. Over 250 supporters and legislators from around the state joined us on Monday and Tuesday for this exciting event!

On Monday, Pro-Family Days attendees were trained on how to lobby and were briefed by policy experts Bill Bunkley of Florida Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Marco Paredes of Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops; Paul Seago of No Casinos; Amber Kelly of Florida Family Action; and FFPC President John Stemberger on important bills facing the Legislature during the 2018 Session. Some of the bill topics discussed included life, education, religious liberty, gambling, and LGBT issues.

Monday evening we had the distinct pleasure and incredible privilege of honoring pregnancy care center directors from across Florida in a special celebration of life on the infamous anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We are so grateful for the work these men and women do on a daily basis to love, support and care for these new mothers (and fathers) facing an unplanned pregnancy.

On Tuesday, FFPC hosted a Legislative Prayer Breakfast attended by 250 people, including many elected officials. Guest speakers included Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam; House Speaker Richard Corcoran; Senator Kelli Stargel; Representative Jennifer Sullivan; and keynote speaker Pam Tebow, a homeschool pioneer, pro-life activist, and mother to Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Click here to watch the livestream from her keynote address (starting at 21:18) and sit-down interview with Al Laws of WIN Family Services.

During Pro-Family Days, attendees also met with their legislators; toured the Florida House of Representatives with House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Land O’ Lakes) and Rep. Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater); and heard from Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston at the Florida Supreme Court.

Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos from this year’s event. More photos will continue to be added in the coming days. Tag yourself and share these photos with your friends and encourage them to join us next year for Pro-Family Days! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to continue to receive our most current updates on what’s happening around the state relating to the issues of life, marriage, family, and religious liberty.

Constitution Revision Commission Update

On Thursday, the CRC’s Declaration of Rights Committee passed out Proposal 22, the Florida Privacy Restoration Act. The proposed amendment will clarify that the privacy clause in Florida’s Constitution guarantees a right to informational privacy. Opinions by the Florida Supreme Court in recent years have not upheld a right to informational privacy, but have granted other rights, such as a right to abortion. While abortion would remain constitutional under Roe v Wade if the Florida Privacy Restoration Act passes, it is possible that reasonable laws regulating abortion, such as parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, would now be ruled constitutional. This has angered groups like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women. These groups attempted to scare commissioners into voting no by telling them that liberties we have enjoyed for decades will disappear. This is outrageous and patently false, but leftist groups will brook no limitation on abortion, no matter how reasonable. They demand that abortion be available any time, any place, for any woman who wants one.

Commissioner Arthenia Joyner painted the judicial activism that has taken place as “progress” in the same way that women have been granted the right to vote and blacks were given civil rights. What Commissioner Joyner failed to mention was that the courts didn’t grant those rights, but rather a constitutional amendment and federal legislation did. Zach Jones, an FSU student, passionately testified that while he was pro-choice, the courts did not have the ability to grant a constitutional right to abortion and that if Floridians wanted a constitutional right to abortion, they would need to pass a constitutional amendment that said so. After nearly two hours, the Declaration of Rights Committee voted 4-3 to advance Proposal 22. It heads to the CRC’s Judiciary Committee next and will be heard on Thursday, February 1st.

Now, for this week’s update on our legislative agenda!

ADOPTION/FOSTER CARE

OPPOSE HB 357 / SB 576 Adoptee Birth Certificates
Sponsors: Rep. Richard Stark (D), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: None.

ABORTION

SUPPORT HB 1429 / SB 1890 Dismemberment Abortion
Sponsors: Rep. Erin Grall (R), Rep. Joe Gruters (R), Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R)

Action: The House Health Quality Subcommittee heard the bill this week. Florida Family Action’s Political and Communications Director, Amber Kelly, testified on the bill (her testimony can be seen from 1:18:15 1:20:24). Amber spoke about the fact that while cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited in punishing criminals, the practice of dismemberment abortion is allowed which is cruel to the unborn child. The bill does not prevent a woman from choosing to have an abortion, but it does ensure that once a woman has chosen to have an abortion that a child is not killed brutally. The bill passed its first committee stop in a 9-6 vote.

OPPOSE HB 1273 / SB 1718 Contraception Mandate
Sponsors: Rep. Holly Raschein (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Mandates employers provide insurance plans which pay for contraception, including abortion inducing drugs. The exemption for employers is limited to religious objections by religious nonprofits or small, privately-held companies and it requires notification of objection to providing coverage. Insurance companies are still required to provide coverage of contraception to employees who work for an exempt organization.

Action: None.

OPPOSE HB 189 / SB 320 Abortion Clinics
Sponsors: Rep. Amy Mercado (D), Sen. Linda Stewart (D)

Action: None.

CULTURE

SUPPORT HR 157 / SR 480 Declaring Pornography a Public Health Crisis
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

Recognizes the public health crisis created by pornography and acknowledges need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect Floridians.

Action: None.

SUPPORT HB 839 / SB 1158 Display of State Motto in Public Schools
Sponsors: Rep. Daniels (D), Rep. Ponder (R), Sen. Perry (R)

Requires each Florida school and each school district building to prominently display the state motto “In God We Trust.”

Action: The House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee heard the bill on Tuesday and passed the bill unanimously. It only has one more committee stop before it can head to the floor of the House for passage out of that chamber. It has yet to be heard in the Senate.

EDUCATION

SUPPORT HB 731 / SB 732 Home Education
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: After a couple of technical amendments and with no debate, the Senate version passed out of the Education committee unanimously on Monday. It has two remaining committees.

SUPPORT HB 1 / SB 1172 Hope Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Rep. Byron Donalds (R), Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

Action: The Senate bill was taken up on Monday in the Education Committee. An amendment to the bill added additional language which allows a school principal to investigate allegations and establish the at-fault parties, the circumstances surrounding the incident, etc. Opponents suggested that the offender should be penalized rather than removing the victim from a hostile environment. The bill sponsor noted that there are already rules and consequences in place for those who harass, bully, or otherwise threaten or intimidate another. Some committee members suggested that they would like to see additional programs, like counseling, being included to help the victims.

FREE SPEECH

SUPPORT HB 909 / SB 1234 Free Speech Zones on Campus
Sponsors: Rep. Rommel (R), Rep. Clemons (R), Sen. Baxley (R)

Action: The House Post-Secondary Education Subcommittee took up the bill on Tuesday and passed the bill in a 9-5 vote in a party line vote. The House version must pass two more committees.

GAMBLING

OPPOSE HB 223 / SB 374 Fantasy Contests
Sponsors: Rep. Jason Brodeur (R), Sen. Dana Young (R)

Exempts fantasy gaming contests such as fantasy sports leagues from being subject to gambling penalties and regulations. In effect, legalizing fantasy gambling.

Action: The House Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee heard the bill on Tuesday and passed it unanimously. The House bill still has two more committees. The Senate Rules committee picked up its version on Thursday and passed it in a 9-2 vote, which means it is now headed to the Senate floor.

OPPOSE SB 840 Legalizing Fantasy and Designated Player Games/Expanding Slot Machines
Sponsor: Sen. Travis Hutson (R)

Action: None.

OPPOSE HB 1293 / SB 1802 Preview Games and Machines
Sponsor: Rep. Al Jacquet (D), Sen. Perry Thurston Jr. (D)

Action: None.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

SUPPORT HB 167 / SB 1044 Civil Action for Human Trafficking Victims
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: None.

SUPPORT HB 169 / SB 1046 Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: None.

SUPPORT HB 7039 / SB 1502 Increased Penalties for Human Trafficking
Sponsors: House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Lauren Book (D)

Action: None.

LIFE

SUPPORT HB 41 / SB 444 Pregnancy Support Services
Sponsors: Rep. Jackie Toledo (R), Sen. Aaron Bean (R)

Action: None.

LGBT

A full list of House and Senate co-sponsors.

Action: None.

OPPOSE HB 717 / SB 696 Banning Conversion Therapy
Sponsors: Rep. Evan Jenne (D) / Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D)

Action: None.

MARRIAGE

SUPPORT HB 1323 / SB 1580 Florida Guide to a Healthy Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. Clay Yarborough (R), Rep. Danny Burgess (R), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R)

Action: The House Civil Justice and Claims picked up the bill this week. Florida Family Action President John Stemberger testified on the divorce problem that the state of Florida has. Richard Albertson of Live the Life also testified on the economic impact of divorce on Florida taxpayers. There was no opposition to the bill in public testimony; however, one member of the committee seemed to want to ensure that same-sex couples would be included in the guide. The bill passed out of committee, mostly along party lines, in a 10-4 vote. The Senate version is scheduled to be heard next Tuesday afternoon.

OPPOSE HB 130 / SB 6027 Same-Sex Marriage
Sponsors: Rep. David Richardson (D), Sen. Gary Farmer (D)

Removes the language in state statute which prohibited same-sex couples from marrying and the State of Florida from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.

Action: None.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

SUPPORT HB 871 / SB 1290 Free Enterprise Protection Act
Sponsors: Rep. Jay Fant (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

Action: None.

1:18:15-1:20:24

The post Legislative Insider’s Report Week 3 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report: Weeks 5/6 of 9

Admin — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 14:32:34 +0000

Dear Friend,

We hope this message finds you and your family well and that you had a blessed celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this past weekend.

We are sorry that we missed sending you week 5 of our Insider’s Report, but we’ve included it in this week’s report. The Legislature slowed down a bit in Week 6 because of Passover and Good Friday, but for the days that the Legislature was in session this week, each chamber began passing their version of the budget and most of the normal committee meetings were canceled.

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) met in Tallahassee this past week and several local residents made statements at the public hearing held at Florida A&M University. At every city the CRC has held a public hearing in thus far, many citizen’s have testified and expressed concerned about Article 1, Section 23, Florida’s Privacy Clause which was enacted in 1980 by a vote of 60% of voters to protect citizens from the government collecting private information. But nine years after it was passed in 1989, the Florida Supreme Court ignored the legislative intent and history of the amendment and suddenly found a fundamental right to abortion for a minor child in the clause in case of In Re: T.W. A Minor, 551 So. 2d 1186 (1989). There has been a strong show of support of pro-lifers and constitutionalists asking the CRC to fix the privacy clause. Planned Parenthood supporters are also appearing asking the CRC to protect Florida’s very strong right to abortion. Interestingly, none of the mainstream media covering the hearings have reported this issue accurately. We reported several weeks ago that our President, John Stemberger was appointed for the next year and a half to the CRC by Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran. The CRC only gathers every 20 years as per the Florida Constitution. For more information on upcoming public hearings in Gainesville, Jacksonville, Panama City and Tampa check out the official website at FloridaCRC.gov.

Rep. David Richardson on the House floor Credit: Scott Keeler, TB Times

During Week 5, there was a move by Rep. David Richardson (D) to add non-discrimination language for sexual orientation and gender identity to a bill regulating ridesharing companies (i.e. Uber, Lyft). Rep. Richardson who is one of two openly gay-identified legislators in Florida, filed two separate amendments to the bill. The first stated that these services are public accommodations and adding the non-discrimination language to the law governing public accommodations (adding some of the most controversial parts of the Competitive Workforce Act to statute). This amendment failed in a voice vote. Rep. Richardson then moved to the next proposed amendment which would require each company’s non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This also failed in a voice vote, but Democrats then forced a roll call vote (meaning we know how each member voted). We expect to see more of these types of moves in the future and will be on the lookout for them.

The biggest news out of Week 6 in the Legislature was in the House during Floor Debate on a controversial bill which allocates $200 million to “Schools of Hope”. Schools of Hope are charter schools which are established within 5 miles of perpetually failing schools; however, the organizations establishing these schools must have a proven track record of success within impoverished communities. Prior to the debate, Rep. Shevrin Jones (D) held a press conference with Tallahassee mayor and extreme left wing Democrat, gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum opposing the bill. All told, the House spent over five hours debating the measure this week before passing it 77-40 along party lines. The Senate then picked up the bill but refused to pass the House language meaning it will be sent to committee.

Now for the action report from Amber Kelly, our Communications and Political Director, on the bills that we’re most closely monitoring…

GOOD BILLS

ADOPTION / FOSTER CARE

HB 363 / SB 200 Temporary Respite Care for Families in Crisis
Sponsors: Rep. Frank White (R), Rep. Patricia Williams (D), Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R)

This bill helps families in crisis by allowing parents to place their children with respite care families temporarily while they work to better the situation for the entire family (whether it is seeking treatment for addiction, finding a job, etc.) This program is for families where there are no allegations of abuse/neglect which would cause DCF to remove the children from their home.

The Senate version was heard in its first committee during Week 5. Despite the 5-0 vote in favor of the bill, senators expressed concern about some of the provisions of the bill. Some of the senators’ concerns were based on a misunderstanding of the situations in which the program operates. Specifically, some senators were concerned that the program is for families dealing with troubled youth, which is not the case. The Family Law section of the Florida Bar opposes the bill; it appears their opposition is solely because they believe lawyers need to be involved in the process and a foster-care lite system should be implemented. Florida Family Action is continuing to support the bill and encourage senators to support this highly successful, worthwhile program. The Senate Judiciary committee will be hearing the bill next Wednesday.

The full House heard this bill in second reading on Tuesday and passed it in a 96-16 vote on Wednesday. The nay votes primarily centered around concerns over notifying a non-custodial parent that the custodial parent was going to enter into a respite care agreement. Rep. Lori Berman (D) proposed two amendments to require notification prior to an agreement, which does not always work in crisis situations requiring immediate care or changing the notification period from five days to two. Both amendments failed.

LIFE

HB 969 / SB 1130 Pregnancy Support Services
Sponsors: Rep. Jackie Toledo (R) and Sen. Aaron Bean (R)

This bill would require the Department of Health to contract with a network of crisis pregnancy centers to provide support services for women who suspect or know they are pregnant for the term of their pregnancy through the first year of the child’s life. The services provided cannot be noncoercive nor contain religious content.

The full House heard this bill in second reading during Week 5 and passed it in a 79-38 vote, but not before House Democrats spent both days grilling bill sponsor Rep. Jackie Toledo (R). Claiming that they were concerned with center standards and rising costs, Democrats opposed this bill. Perhaps the most shocking statements were made regarding ensuring that women had access to abortions and their opposition to providers who were pro-life. If you have a few extra moments, be sure to thank Rep. Toledo for her sponsorship of this bill and standing strong during the hours she was questioned on the House floor.

The Senate version of this bill is scheduled to be heard in its second committee stop (of three) next Tuesday. While time is running short, this bill can still pass this legislative session.

EDUCATION

Amber Kelly presenting Sen. Tom Lee (R) with the “Champion of the Family” award

HB 1391 / SB 1556 Clarifying Homeschool Requirements
Sponsors: Rep. Eric Eisnaugle (R), Sen. Tom Lee (R)

This bill seeks to ensure that school districts cannot interfere with a family’s decision to homeschool once they are provided proper notice unless they receive corroborated outside evidence that the children are not being educated properly.

The House bill was very quickly passed out of its final committee on Thursday morning during week 5 in a unanimous vote by the Education Committee. It is headed to the floor of the House, but the Senate version has yet to pass its first committee. The Senate bill was heard in a workshop this week but has not been scheduled for a vote. FFA requested that the committee chair schedule the bill for a vote, but it has not yet been granted.

HB 833 / SB 692 Revising Student Eligibility for Virtual School
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

This bill removes a requirement that 2nd through 5th graders be enrolled in a public school in the year prior to enrolling in virtual school.

The House bill passed favorably out of its final committee unanimously and is now on 2^nd reading in the House. It has not yet been put on the Special Order calendar to be heard.

The Senate version was heard in an Education Committee workshop but has not yet been voted on to pass it to the next committee. A similar bill, SB 868, which includes provisions regarding open enrollment and Florida Virtual School is scheduled to be heard next Tuesday in its second (of three) committee.

Amber Kelly with Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R)

HB 15 / SB 1314 Expanding the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Denise Grimsley (R)

This bill expands the students who are eligible for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

The House bill passed out of its final committee and is scheduled to be heard in the full House next Tuesday. During its final committee stop, the bill was amended to once again include an expansion of the Gardiner Scholarship Program (which had been removed during its first committee stop due to funding concerns).

The Senate version was scheduled to be heard by the Education Committee but wasn’t during week 5. It is once again scheduled for consideration in that committee for next Monday. The Education Committee is the first stop out of four total for the Senate bill so it must start moving quickly if it is to pass this year.

HB 549 / SB 906 Publication of State Assessment Tests for Parental and Educational Review
Sponsors: Rep. Randy Fine (R), Sen. Greg Steube (R), House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee

This bill seeks to require the publication of certain state assessment tests every three years. Currently, no one has access to the questions on these exams, including the Department of Education nor any government officials. Students are being told that they cannot tell anyone the content of test questions, including their parents.

The House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee passed its version of the bill unanimously, but it has not yet been scheduled to be heard in Education (the final stop). The Senate bill still has not been scheduled for a vote in its first committee (although it has been workshopped).

GAMING

Rep. Mike LaRosa (R) closing on HB 7037

HB 7037 Addressing Gambling Long-Term
Sponsor: Rep. Mike La Rosa (R) and the Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee

This bill will constrict or freeze gambling in Florida by requiring the Governor to renegotiate the state’s compact with the Seminole Tribe, with terms for a 20-year contract.

This bill was scheduled to be heard by the full House during week 5. Upon the introduction of the bill, the House picked up the Senate gambling bill (SB 8) and amended it to conform it to HB 7037. During both the 2^nd and 3^rd reading, while some members chose to participate in questions and debate, it was largely understood that a conference committee would be convened to negotiate the vast differences between the chambers’ bills. The bill was passed 73-40, along party lines. The Senate refused to concur and a conference committee has been announced with the following members: Sen. Galvano (Alternating Chair – R), Rep. J Felix Diaz (Alternating Chair -R), Sen. Benacquisto (R), Sen. Braynon (D), Sen. Flores (R), Rep. Geller (D), Sen. Hutson (R), Rep. La Rosa (R), Rep. Metz (R), Rep. Moskowitz (D), Rep. Nunez (R).and Sen. Thurston (D). It remains to be seen whether the House and Senate will be able to come to terms regarding gaming this year. FFA continues to encourage the House to stay strong on its bill to restrict the expansion of gaming long-term.

HB 937 / SB 1370 Warnings for Lottery Games
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Keith Perry (R), House Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee

This bill would require a warning placed on lottery tickets that lottery games can be addictive.

The bill was heard in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee (first of three committees) and passed 7-3. Sen. Gibson (D) opposed the bill because she does not believe the lottery is gambling. There was no action on the House version of the bill.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

HB 1383 / SB 852 Child Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (R), Sen. Rene Garcia (R)

This bill seeks to help children who have been the victims of sex trafficking by requiring the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to maintain a database of services available for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, increases the situations in which a defendant’s confession may be used at trial, outlines procedures for assisting victims, and requires officials to follow up with victims within six months to evaluate services used and their effectiveness.

The House bill passed out of its final committee unanimously and is on 2^nd reading for consideration by the full House. The Senate version was passed out of its final committee, was placed on the Special Order calendar, and is scheduled for 3^rd reading and final vote next Tuesday.

HB 1165 / SB 972 Florida Compensation Trust Fund for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Sponsor: Rep. Ross Spano (R), House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee

This bill allows victims of human trafficking to sue the individuals who engaged in their trafficking.

The House version has passed out of its final committee and will be placed on the 2^nd reading calendar next week. The Senate version had been scheduled to be heard in its first committee during week 5, but was postponed. The bill is scheduled to be heard in its first committee next week and will also be heard in its second committee (Judiciary) if the first committee passes it favorably. We thank Sen. Greg Steube (R), who chairs Senate Judiciary, for placing it on his agenda this week.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

HB 303 / SB 436 Religious Liberty in Public Schools or “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act”
Sponsors: Rep. Kim Daniels (D), Rep. Patricia Williams (D), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

This bill codifies the current state of religious liberty in public schools. It prohibits a school district from discriminating against students, parents, or school personnel on the basis of religious viewpoints or expression and clarifies that a school cannot penalize or reward a student’s religious expression in their coursework, artwork, or other specified assignments. It provides equal access to all religions and non-religions before, during, and after school.

This bill was placed on the Special Order Calendar in week 5. Once the bill was read, the Senate version was picked up and amended to conform to the House version of the bill. With very little fanfare, the bill was passed 114-3 and sent back to the Senate to either concur or refuse (sending it to conference). It remains to be seen what will happen with the bill, although Senate President Negron opened session stating that this bill was a priority for him.

ISRAEL

HB 281 / SB 574 Opposing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334
Sponsors: Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D), Sen. Kevin Rader (D)

This Resolution pronounces that the Legislature opposes and requests the repeal or fundamental alteration of UN Resolution 2334, which stated that Israel’s settlement activity constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, has no legal validity and is a major obstacle to the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. It calls on the US to ensure that the UN Resolution is no longer one-sided and anti-Israel and authorizes all final-status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct, bilateral negotiations between the parties involved.

The Senate adopted the Resolution by voice vote during week 5.

BAD BILLS

LGBT RIGHTS

HB 623 / SB 666 Creating Special Rights for LGBT Citizens or “Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act”
Sponsors: Rep. Ben Diamond (D), Rep. Rene Plasencia (R), Sen. Jeff Clemens (D)

The CWA adds sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to Florida’s Civil Rights Act of 1992 as impermissible grounds for discrimination. This bill provides a new way for LGBT individuals to sue employers and small businesses for discrimination and would allow men access to use women’s showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, women’s domestic violence shelters, etc.

This bill which we have described as the worst bill proposed in the Florida Legislature due to its effect on public safety and religious liberty has not been scheduled to be heard in committee. We continue to educate legislators on the dangers of this piece of legislation, and it continues to be dead on arrival despite some liberal Republican support.

GAMBLING

SB 8 Gaming Expansion Bill
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

This bill was amended by the House to conform to its good gambling bill. The Senate refused to concur and the two chambers will convene in conference to iron out their differences. The following legislators were named to the conference committee: Sen. Galvano (Alternating Chair – R), Rep. J Felix Diaz (Alternating Chair -R), Sen. Benacquisto (R), Sen. Braynon (D), Sen. Flores (R), Rep. Geller (D), Sen. Hutson (R), Rep. La Rosa (R), Rep. Metz (R), Rep. Moskowitz (D), Rep. Nunez (R).and Sen. Thurston (D). It remains to be seen whether the House and Senate will be able to come to terms regarding gaming this year. FFA continues to encourage the House to stay strong in its resolve to restrict the expansion of gaming long-term.

HB 149 / SB 592 Fantasy Gaming
Sponsors: Rep. Jason Brodeur (R), Sen. Dana Young (R)

The bill effectively legalizes fantasy sports contests in Florida and states that it is not gambling.

This bill unanimously passed the House Ways & Means Committee (second of three committees) during Week 5. This bill has met with no resistance in the House to date. While the Senate companion has not moved, the larger Senate gaming bill (SB 8) does address fantasy gaming. If the two chambers are able to come to an agreement on a gambling bill, we wonder if this might be part of the package.

ALCOHOL

HB 81 / SB 106 Hard Liquor in Grocery Stores
Sponsors: Rep. Bryan Avila (R), Sen. Anitere Flores (R)

Amber Kelly with Rep. Scott Plakon (R)

Dubbed “Whiskey and Wheaties,” this bill would allow grocery stores and large retail stores to sell hard liquor in their main store rather than building or renting a separate store to sell liquor.

This bill was placed on the Special Order Calendar for the 2^nd time and then postponed once again while the House was in session. Rep. Scott Plakon (R) proposed two amendments to the bill which opponents say are meant to kill the bill. One of the measures would require all store employees in a retail store selling hard liquor to be at least 21 years of age. Rep. Plakon believes this is good public policy and expands the choices that retailers currently have; it allows them to sell alcohol in their main store but ensures that those who are underage won’t be responsible for liquor sales.

With two postponements and the fact that it hasn’t been scheduled for the third time, we believe this bill is dead for the year.

The post Legislative Insider’s Report: Weeks 5/6 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report: Week 4 of 9

Admin — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:06:56 +0000

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) conducting its first meeting in Orlando this week. Photo is courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.

Before we delve into what happened in Tallahassee this week, we wanted to remind you of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), which held its first public hearing this week. The CRC is convened every 20 years for the purpose of reviewing the state constitution and proposing amendments which are placed on the ballot in the next statewide election. Despite the late notice of the meeting, the venue was packed, and many progressive organizations were able to turn out their supporters for the meeting. The Gainesville Sun printed a recap of the meeting which you may want to take a moment to read. Please make plans to attend the CRC meeting in your area and bring ideas of what you want to see in the Florida Constitution. Currently, the following meetings are scheduled:

Miami-Dade County, Thursday, April 6 from 5-8 p.m., Florida International University (FIU), Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St, Miami, FL 33199. (Free parking will be available)

Palm Beach County / Boca Raton. Friday, April 7 from 9 a.m. – noon, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), FAU Stadium Recruiting Room (located indoors), 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL. 33431. (Free parking will be available)

The website for the CRC is flcrc.gov. If a meeting hasn’t been announced in your area yet, please check out the CRC website periodically and our Facebook and Twitter accounts for breaking news and information.

Now for what happened at the Capitol Complex this week! We are almost halfway through Legislative Session this year, and it ended up being a fairly busy week for education bills, which is great news as legislators are looking to give Florida’s students as many educational options as possible. Both the House and the Senate released their proposed budgets this week and will begin to shift some of their focus to ironing out those details. Some of the subcommittees had their final meetings for the year, and so this is the point where bills begin to die if they are not moving through the process. We are continuing to work hard to see that good legislation is passed this year.

For a full list of bills that Florida Family Action is supporting or opposing this year, go check out our website.

GOOD BILLS

ADOPTION / FOSTER CARE

HB 363 / SB 200 Temporary Respite Care for Families in Crisis
Sponsors: Rep. Frank White (R), Rep. Patricia Williams (D), Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R)

The Senate bill will be heard by its first committee on Monday. The full House will hear the bill on Tuesday with an expected vote by the full House on Wednesday.

LIFE

HB 969 / SB 1130 Pregnancy Support Services
Sponsors: Rep. Jackie Toledo (R) and Sen. Aaron Bean (R)

Amber Kelly with Rep. Jackie Toledo (R-Tampa)

Despite the fact that Planned Parenthood sent some of its supporters to oppose this bill, it cleared its final House committee on Thursday in an 11-5 vote. Opponents spoke against the bill, which in no way mentions Planned Parenthood or limits a woman’s right to an abortion, on the basis that religious counseling may occur (which is prohibited in the bill), staff credentials, and questions over whether audits of the facilities were conducted (the contract with the Department of Health requires them). What was clear is that Planned Parenthood is only pro-choice if you make their choice – an abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers offer support and valuable services, not just when a woman is pregnant, but even after she has her baby (for the first year of its life).

The House version is scheduled to be heard by the full House next Tuesday. The Senate bill is still in the committee process – the second committee stop is the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services which is not scheduled to meet again until April 13th.

EDUCATION

This week was very busy for education bills in both the House and the Senate. Besides the bills listed below, committee bills were rolled out in the House which would make significant changes to education – namely one that would allow charter school organizations with high success rates in poverty-stricken communities to build schools near perpetually failing schools and one that would provide funding for charter schools. Neither of these proposed bills were without controversy. Opponents of both bills wanted to see additional tax dollars given to traditional schools in hopes that they would improve rather than allow charter schools to compete or receive funding taxpayer dollars. While charter schools are public schools, opponents saw them as competition rather than an additional tool in the public school arsenal to help educate Florida’s youth.

HB 1391 / SB 1556 Clarifying Homeschool Requirements
Sponsors: Rep. Eric Eisnaugle (R), Sen. Tom Lee (R)

The House bill was very quickly passed out of its final committee on Thursday morning in a unanimous vote by the Education Committee. It is headed to the floor of the House, but the Senate version has yet to pass its first committee. The Senate bill was heard in a workshop this week but has not been scheduled for a vote next week. If it is not heard the following week for a vote, it may be dead for the year.

HB 833 / SB 692 Revising Student Eligibility for Virtual School
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Dennis Baxley (R)

This bill removes a requirement that 2nd through 5th graders be enrolled in a public school in the year prior to enrolling in virtual school.

The House bill passed favorably out of its second committee unanimously and has one more stop before heading to the floor for a vote by the full House. The Senate version was heard in an Education Committee workshop on Monday but was not voted on. It will need to be scheduled for a vote before it can move forward.

HB 15 / SB 1314 Expanding the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Rep. Jennifer Sullivan (R), Sen. Denise Grimsley (R)

This bill expands the students who are eligible for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

The House bill passed out of its second committee this week in a 12-3 vote. It has one more committee stop before heading to the floor for a vote by the full House. The Senate version was heard in an Education Committee workshop on Monday and has been scheduled for a vote in that committee for next Monday. The Education Committee is the first stop out of four total for the Senate bill so it must start moving quickly if it is to pass this year.

HB 549 / SB 906 Publication of State Assessment Tests for Parental and Educational Review
Sponsors: Rep. Randy Fine (R), Sen. Greg Steube (R), House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee

The Senate bill was heard in the Education Committee workshop this week but has not been scheduled for a vote yet. The House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee will hear the House version next Monday morning for a vote before it heads to its final committee.

GAMING

HB 7037 Addressing Gambling Long-Term
Sponsor: Rep. Mike La Rosa (R) and the Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee

This bill will constrict or freeze gambling in Florida by requiring the Governor to renegotiate the state’s compact with the Seminole Tribe, with terms for a 20-year contract.

This bill passed out of its final committee on Thursday afternoon in a 19-11 vote along party lines. An amendment was filed to change a provision which allowed charter schools to be funded through the revenue-sharing agreement with the Seminole Tribe. The amendment failed along party lines but was used by some members of the Commerce Committee as an excuse as to why they were not supporting the bill. Other detractors said the funding issue was not the only problem they had with the bill. Florida Family Action supported the bill in committee and called on the House to not back down from the spirit of the bill when negotiating with the Senate on the state’s gambling issues. FFA continues to believe the House bill is better policy and better for Florida’s families, businesses, and our tourism brand than the massive expansion of gambling that the Senate bill provides.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

HB 1383 / SB 852 Child Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (R), Sen. Rene Garcia (R)

While the House bill was not heard this week, one of its originally assigned committees of reference was removed. This is a good sign, as it increases the chances that it will get to the floor for full House consideration. There was no action on this bill in the Senate this week.

Amber Kelly presenting Rep. Ross Spano (R) with the “Champion of the Family” award in his office

HB 1165 / SB 972 Florida Compensation Trust Fund for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Sponsor: Rep. Ross Spano (R), House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee

This bill allows victims of human trafficking to sue the individuals who engaged in their trafficking.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill will be heard next Monday. It will be the first time it is heard in the Senate.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

This bill was placed on the calendar for the 2nd reading in the House on Tuesday, with expected passage on Wednesday. There are some differences between the House and Senate versions, so it remains to be seen whether the House will adopt the Senate version as-is or amend it to be identical to the House version and send it back.

ISRAEL

HB 281 / SB 574 Opposing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334
Sponsors: Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D), Sen. Kevin Rader (D)

On Tuesday, the House adopted this resolution, and the Senate passed out of its final committee in a 9-1 vote. It is scheduled to be heard by the full Senate next Tuesday.

BAD BILLS

LGBT RIGHTS

HB 623 / SB 666 Creating Special Rights for LGBT Citizens or “Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act”
Sponsors: Rep. Ben Diamond (D), Rep. Rene Plasencia (R), Sen. Jeff Clemens (D)

GAMBLING

SB 8 Gaming Expansion Bill
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

Senator Galvano presents SB 8 during Wednesday’s Session

The massive gambling expansion bill was heard in 2nd reading on Wednesday and then passed by the full Senate on Thursday in a 32-6 vote. On the floor on Wednesday, additional amendments were added to the bill which were specific carve outs for various gambling interests. The bill sponsor, Sen. Galvano, stated that passing the bill was merely getting the Senate in posture for negotiations with the House. We are sure that gambling interests throughout the state (with the exception of the Seminole Tribe) are over the moon with this bill because it expands gambling in every arena possible. The Senate sponsor may believe that this will improve the Senate’s position at the negotiating table with the House – which seeks to restrict gaming in the state for the next 20 years. Sen. Galvano did concede on the Senate floor that a compromise between the House and the Senate may not be possible this year.

Unfortunately, the bill was met with little discussion or resistance on the floor, and after Thursday’svote, the bill was immediately certified and sent to the House for consideration. We would like to recognize and thank those senators who voted against this harmful measure: Sen. Dennis Baxley (R), Sen. Aaron Bean (R), Sen. Denise Grimsley (R), Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D), Sen. Kelli Stargel (R), Sen. Victor Torres (D), and Sen. Tom Lee (R) (whose vote was recorded after the official vote).

The bill has been placed on the Special Order Calendar for the full House to hear next Tuesday along with HB 7037 which is the House’s gaming proposal.

ALCOHOL

HB 81 / SB 106 Hard Liquor in Grocery Stores
Sponsors: Rep. Bryan Avila (R), Sen. Anitere Flores (R)

In a bit of intrigue this week, this bill was pulled from the Special Order Calendar on Wednesday during the floor session of the House. The differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill seemed to have caused some difficulties on the final passage. A compromise may have been reached as the bill is back on the House floor schedule for next Tuesday.

The post Legislative Insider’s Report: Week 4 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Legislative Insider’s Report: Week 3 of 9

Admin — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 19:35:16 +0000

Perhaps the biggest news this week for many of our supporters was that Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger was appointed to the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) by Speaker Richard Corcoran. On Monday, he was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court to serve for the next 18 months as a commissioner on the CRC, which is a constitutional position. John will represent millions of Floridians with conservative viewpoints, just like yours.

So, what is the CRC? We’re so glad you asked!

Florida is the only state in the nation to have this type of mechanism for constitutional change. The Florida Constitution stipulates that every 20 years a CRC will be convened to review the state constitution and propose changes to it, which are placed on the ballot in the next election (in this case, 2018) to be voted on by Florida voters. The 37-member panel is composed of the following: the Attorney General of the State of Florida, plus three members appointed by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, nine members appointed by the Senate President, nine members appointed by the Speaker of the House, and fifteen members appointed by the Governor. The Governor also has the right to select the Chairman of the CRC (from those 15 members he appoints).

The Organizational Session of the CRC was held this week in the Senate Chamber in Tallahassee. For pictures of John and these historic proceedings, you can check out the album of photos on our Facebook page. The CRC will conduct public meetings to hear from Floridians about what changes they would like to see to the state constitution. Public hearings have already been scheduled in the next two weeks in Orlando, Miami, Boca Raton, and Pensacola. Please come to the one in your area and let the Commission hear your ideas and proposals for amending the state constitution.

Currently scheduled meetings of the CRC:

Orange County / Orlando, Wednesday, March 29 from 5-8 p.m., University of Central Florida (UCF), FAIRWINDS Alumni Center, 12676 Gemini Blvd. N., Orlando, Fla. 32816 (Free parking will be available)

Miami-Dade County, Thursday, April 6 from 5-8 p.m., Florida International University (FIU), Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St, Miami, FL 33199, (Free parking will be available)

Escambia County / Pensacola, Wednesday, April 12, from 4-7 p.m. (Central Time), University of West Florida (UWF), Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 82 Service Rd, Pensacola, Fla. 32514, (Free parking will be available)

The website for the CRC can be found at flcrc.gov. If a meeting hasn’t been announced in your area yet, please check out the CRC website periodically and our Facebook and Twitter accounts for breaking news and information.

Now, for the goings-on at the Capitol! While the Senate canceled 20 meetings this week and moved the full floor session from Thursday afternoon to morning, we still saw some action this week in Tallahassee. As always, you can go to our website for a full list of bills that Florida Family Action is supporting or opposing this year.

GOOD BILLS

ADOPTION / FOSTER CARE

HB 363 / SB 200 Temporary Respite Care for Families in Crisis
Sponsors: Rep. Frank White (R), Rep. Patricia Williams (D), Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R)

The House version of the bill passed its final committee on Thursday morning with a 16-1 vote. Florida Family Action supported this bill in committee. While officials from the Guardian Ad Litem program, non-profit organizations providing families for children in need of temporary care, and other stakeholders all praised the bill and the success rates accomplished through these types of programs, the Florida Bar’s Family Law Section opposed the bill (the only organization to do so). They felt the measure did not go far enough and pushed for “foster-care lite” with involvement by DCF and the legal system. This bill is specifically designed to offer a resource for families with an emergency/crisis before there is abuse or neglect which forces DCF to remove a child from their home. It heads to the floor of the House next, but the bill has yet to be scheduled in its first committee in the Senate.

EDUCATION

HB 549 / SB 906 Publication of State Assessment Tests for Parental and Educational Review
Sponsors: Rep. Randy Fine (R), Sen. Greg Steube (R), House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee

This bill was heard in both the House and Senate this week. On Monday, the first of three assigned committees in the House voted 12-0 to approve the bill. An amendment was added during the committee by the bill sponsor to push back the date the first tests would be published (at the request of the Florida Department of Education) and clarify what tests would be published on the state education website. On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee had a workshop on this bill along with several other student assessment bills being considered by the Senate this session. Florida Family Action publicly supported this bill both times in committee.

HB 1391 / SB 1556 Clarifying Homeschool Requirements
Sponsors: Rep. Eric Eisnaugle (R), Sen. Tom Lee (R)

This bill cleared its first House committee on Tuesday. The bill was amended by the House sponsor to remove a provision which would have helped to reimburse families with students dual enrolled in college courses. The amendment was due solely to the fact that there is not currently room in the budget for the expenditure. Multiple committee members, including Vice-Chair Jennifer Sullivan, were committed to trying to find funds in the budget to allocate to this expense as public school students do not currently pay for their textbooks if dual enrolled.

GAMING

HB 7037 Addressing Gambling Long-Term
Sponsor: Rep. Mike La Rosa (R) and the Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee

While Florida Family Action normally opposes all gaming bills, FFA supported this bill in committee because it offers a long-term solution to gambling in the state and closes several potential loopholes that are currently in our state statutes. The bill passed the Ways & Means Committee this week (the second of three stops) in an 11-7 vote. Rep. Abruzzo offered two amendments to the bill which would have expanded gambling in Florida but withdrew them from consideration before they could be debated or voted on. He told fellow committee members that unless they made some concessions and expanded gambling that this would not be acceptable to the Seminole Tribe or the Senate. The Senate’s gambling bill is a massive expansion of gambling and we continue to believe the House version is better policy and better for Florida’s families, businesses, and our tourism brand.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

HB 1383 / SB 852 Child Victims of Human Trafficking
Sponsors: Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (R), Sen. Rene Garcia (R)

This bill was heard in both the House and Senate this week. On Monday, the House Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee (the first of three committees) unanimously approved the bill. On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee (the second of three committees) also unanimously approved the bill. FFA supported the bill in both the House and Senate committees.

HB 665 / SB 286 Human Trafficking Education in Schools
Sponsors: Rep. Ross Spano (R), Sen. Greg Steube (R)

This bill was heard in the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee (first of four committees) on Tuesday. The bill was moved forward with unanimous approval. Florida Family Action publicly supported this bill in committee.

HB 1165 / SB 972 Florida Compensation Trust Fund for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Sponsor: Rep. Ross Spano (R), House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee

This bill was heard by the House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee on Monday and was unanimously approved. FFA supported this bill in committee.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

On Thursday, this bill moved forward in both the House and the Senate. It cleared its second (and final) House Committee with little fanfare. There was no debate, and it passed the Education Committee unanimously 15-0.

The opposition in the Senate might have made one think that the bill was seeking to shove Christianity down the throats of young children (as young as five) in a way that violated the Constitution. Sen. Baxley made it clear that the bill simply codifies in Florida Statute what the courts have already determined is appropriate in a school setting.

While this bill does nothing new, we do wish that legislators proposing bills on religious liberty actually craft a bill that provides real and new protections and not just repeat existing protections. The same issue was present last year with the Pastors Protection Act which really did nothing other than codify existing law and did not actually affirmatively advance the cause of religious liberty.

BAD BILLS

LGBT RIGHTS

HB 623 / SB 666 Creating Special Rights for LGBT Citizens or “Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act”
Sponsors: Rep. Ben Diamond (D), Rep. Rene Plasencia (R), Sen. Jeff Clemens (D)

This bill which we have described as the worst bill proposed in the Florida Legislature has not been scheduled to be heard in committee. We continue to educate legislators on the dangers of this piece of legislation and it continues to be appropriately dead on arrival despite some liberal Republican support. See the variation on this broader bill immediately below this section.

HB 659 / SB 742 Creating Special Rights for LGBT Citizens in Housing
Sponsors: Rep. Holly Merrill Raschein (R), Sen. Jack Latvala (R)

We heard that this bill was going to be on the agenda next week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We oppose this bill because of the real risk to the privacy and safety of women and children in a variety of situations. Imagine men being able to walk right into women’s showers, locker rooms, dressing areas, and bathrooms in facilities including:

College campus dormitories
Florida’s jails and prisons
Nursing homes & assisted living facilities
Hospitals and psychiatric wards
Domestic violence shelters
Scout and youth camps
Homeless shelters
DCF group homes
Church parsonages
Homes for persons with disabilities
Bed and Breakfast facilities
Transition living facilities for drug treatment
Homes for youth aging out of foster care

This bill which is a part of the Competitive Workforce Act discussed above is outrageous. It is the most dangerous and anti-liberty bill being proposed around the country while being promoted as the next best and greatest thing. Not on our watch! Working behind the scenes, Florida Family Action has ensured that this bill will not be heard in committee and will never see the light of day this year.

GAMBLING

SB 8 Gaming Expansion Bill
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Galvano (R)

This bill remains in the queue for a full vote by the Senate, but it has yet to be scheduled for a vote.

ALCOHOL

HB 81 / SB 106 Hard Liquor in Grocery Stores
Sponsors: Rep. Bryan Avila (R), Sen. Anitere Flores (R)

The “Whiskey and Wheaties” bill passed its final committee in the House on Wednesday in a 15-13 vote with a number of individuals testifying against the bill. The push to sell alcohol on the shelves of grocery stores was made by big-box stores Target and Walmart. Some small business owners came out in opposition. While some committee members acknowledged increased risks in allowing big stores to sell spirits, others denied that it would lead to an increase in underage drinking or theft of alcohol.

While the Senate passed the bill out of committee before the start of the session, they waited to take a vote by the full body until after it cleared its final House committee. The House committee votes were very close, and the Senate was likely waiting to make sure the measure could be taken up by the full House for passage. While sailing through Senate committees, the final Senate vote was 21-17. There is some chatter around the Capitol that it is possible it could fail in a vote by the full House, although that seems increasingly unlikely.

The post Legislative Insider’s Report: Week 3 of 9 appeared first on Florida Family Action.